Southend's most unusual visitor?

Does anyone else here remember the major European reinforcement exercise the US ran in the early 1960s? If memory serves me correctly, something like 90 C-124s flew across the pond to Rhein-Main in the course of a couple of days. An amazing sight as they passed over Southern England en route; there always seemed to be at least one in the sky during daylight hours, not to mention the occasional C-133 for good measure.

Globemaster II wasn’t much better looking. Clocked one once years back – 1968-ish – in the binos trundling its way across southern England.

William

Quite agree Scouse, although they had quite a lot of character!

Here’s one I took at Mildenhall back in 1964 which was loading up with human cargo during a major exercise.

Globemaster II wasn’t much better looking. Clocked one once years back – 1968-ish – in the binos trundling its way across southern England.

William

My god that is one bizare looking aircraft.

I understand that HP-379 visited Preswick on the 4th March, 1963 and Gatwick on the 13th March. On the 12th May HP-385 visted Heathrow. On the 22nd September of that year HP-367 visited Stansted (on route from Kastrup to Singapore).

I understand that they were all based at Kastrup.

I was told that it nearly came a cropper after departing from Stansted, because the sheep penning hadn’t been properly secured allowing the sheep to move aft during the initial climb. An emergency landing followed.

S.B.

The basic history of all 14 Douglas C-74 Globemaster Is built can be found here: http://cgibin.rcn.com/jeremy.k/cgi-bin/usafSearch.pl?target=&content=Douglas+C-74

A few years ago, a lengthy article on the Globemaster I appeared in Air Enthusiast. Don’t know which issue/s, though.

Regards,

Jan

It was sad to note that poor old Heracles crashed in France 6 months after its visit to Southend.

The basic history of all 14 Douglas C-74 Globemaster Is built can be found here: http://cgibin.rcn.com/jeremy.k/cgi-bin/usafSearch.pl?target=&content=Douglas+C-74

A few years ago, a lengthy article on the Globemaster I appeared in Air Enthusiast. Don’t know which issue/s, though.

Regards,

Jan

Yes it did apear in the Italian job. There were three of them operating in and around Europe at the time. One crashed into a hillside whilst on a “cow” flight. Don’t know when or where though!

Rgds Cking

Thanks aj_march for posting the photo.

Not in any way a pretty aircraft but it certainly has a presence!

If I am not istaken, this was the type of aircraft that featured in a Disney film “The Last Flight of Noah’s Ark”. Can anybody confirm that?

I’m sure that’s the one used in the original ‘Italian Job’ film.

Brian

The aircraft featured in ‘The Last Flight of Noa’s Ark’ was a Boeing B-29.

Regards,

Jan

Thanks aj_march for posting the photo.

Not in any way a pretty aircraft but it certainly has a presence!

If I am not istaken, this was the type of aircraft that featured in a Disney film “The Last Flight of Noah’s Ark”. Can anybody confirm that?

Correct HP81 and Albert Ross, it was indeed the C-74 Globemaster 1, registered as HP-379 and named “Heracles”.

It had flown in from Kastrup to pick up 24 Fresian cows in calf and one Fresian Bull. It was also due to pick up a load of day-old chicks but as the aircraft was 3 days late in arriving, this idea was scrapped!

Apparently because the aircraft could only carry out the slowest of turns it took half-an-hour from the arrival overhead to touchdown as it had to make a very lonbg approach.

It then departed for Amman via Rome and Damascus.

Further flights had been planned but unfortunately after the first visit it was discovered that Southend’s runways were not long enough for the normal weight limit of the aircraft so they were abandoned.

As I said, unfortunately I missed it and this has always been one of my biggest regrets!

Rotodyne

What in 1963??? Do you mean in pieces on a lorry? :confused: It was scrapped in 1962!

Rotodyne

Yes, I’ll second that – the Douglas C-74 Globemaster 1, with Panamanian reg. HP-379.

Was it a Douglas C74 Globemaster? I know one visited Stansted around this time.

S.B.

Saunders Roe Princess?? 😀

Definately not the Ambassador.

From the BKS web page so its not the Ambassador
On May 20 1963, an Ambassador (G-ALZR) was delivered to Southend for conversion for use on the all-cargo services from London to the North East of England. This conversion involved the incorporation of a double door providing an overall aperture 7′ 11″ wide by 6′ 6″ high, with a mean sill height of 3′ 6″. This Ambassador had been the Rolls Royce engine test bed for the Tyne turboprop, and B.K.S. Engineering first had to convert this aircraft back to Centaurus power in addition to its freight conversion. Eventually, it was decided that this aircraft would be converted to carry horses in order to replace the Bristol Freighter. This conversion was undertaken by B.K.S. Engineering at Southend, and on November 26 1964 this aircraft left Southend for Dublin to start flying services from there, after a conversion program lasting for eighteen months. The Ambassador’s first work involved the carriage of race horses to Cambridge for the December sales at Newmarket.